OROVILLE – Like most New Year celebrations, the Lunar New Year represents new opportunities and wishes for good luck, prosperity and good health.
Oroville’s historic Chinese temple, built in 1863, provided the backdrop for Sunday’s event, which drew nearly 400 people. Most of the people gathered together, looking forward to the wonderful performance of the two lion dancers and the resounding sound of drums and gongs from the Liangshi Baihe Dragon and Lion Dance Association in San Francisco.
Lunar New Year is not necessarily the same as the more widely known Lunar New Year, but is closely related because both are based on the ancient Chinese lunar calendar, which marks the first new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the “New Year’s” period is different every year, rather than the fixed date of January 1st celebrated in Western culture.
There were plenty of cheers and shouts from the crowd as the lions performed complex movements and twirls, representing the blessings they offered to attendees: prosperity, long life and good health. Performers Timothy Tran and Ricardo Lopez were in one lion, and Cindy Nguyen and Karina Quok were in another. Percussionists Peter Pham (drums), Colin Nguyen, and Donovan Nguyen (cymbals) provide plenty of rhythmic noise—loud, but purposeful.
Fan, the head of Baihe, explained that the sound was to scare away the evil spirits. In fact, lions and percussionists enter the temple for the finale of the show for exactly this purpose.
Some performances use firecrackers, whose loud noises are meant to frighten unwanted spirits, Fan said.
However, the crowd seemed very pleased with the lion’s performance and complex movements.
Brianna Chapman of Oroville and her 3-year-old son Carson Harris came to see the exhibit. Carson is particularly looking forward to the event, which his mother says is another way she likes to expose him to different cultures.
“We attended last year and really enjoyed seeing everything,” said Chapman, who and her son enjoyed the many historical exhibits inside the temple museum. “He loves watching dragons, and he watches videos of dragons over and over again.”
“They were red and yellow,” Carson recalls fondly.
history and energy
Heather McCafferty, director of the city’s Chinese Temple, explained that the Oroville Temple hosted many Lunar New Year celebrations in the 19th century.
“In the 1800s, it was a big celebration in the area,” she said, “and we have a few photos showing our collection of flags and things that were used at these events.”
McCafferty estimated attendance for the 2022 event at 400 people, a number this year is close to.
“People get excited about dancing,” she said. “You can really feel the energy when it’s about to start.”
A docent at the temple museum distributed red envelopes to attendees on Sunday, a tradition for Chinese New Year celebrations. According to Chinese custom, wrapping money in red paper can bring greater happiness and prosperity to the recipient. Red symbolizes vitality, good luck and happiness in Chinese culture.
The White Crane team’s stop in Oroville was just part of a long day with a lot of travelling. The performers started their day dancing at the Cache Creek Casino in western Yolo County before heading to Oroville. When they wrapped up their hour-long meeting, they were back in the van to perform at a Lunar New Year event in Sacramento.
